"I Love You" by Megan

"I Love You" by Megan - March 2013 Scholarship Essay

"I love you." These were the first words I heard out of Mr. Brian Horvath's mouth on my first day of senior year at Lutheran High North. I can honestly say that at first I was taken aback, who just says that to a class of 18 year-olds? After I got over the abruptness of the comment, I smiled. The only thing this man knew about me was my name, yet he said he loved me. Talk about a confidence booster. Little did I know that Mr. Horvath would quickly become one of my favorite teachers I have ever had.Mr. Horvath teaches Applied Christianity to all of the seniors at Lutheran North and is very talented in his field of work. His main objective in the class is to prepare us and our faith lives for college and the "real world". Although most of the course work is very interesting, this isn't what sets Mr. Horvath's class apart from others. You see, he doesn't lecture; his class is a huge conversation between him and his curious students. He will take a desk from the front row and sit facing us, asking our opinions and why we feel the way we do. He's not there to judge us, he's there to hear us out and try to guide us on the path of righteousness.I also had the privilege of having Mr. Horvath as a conditioning coach for basketball my senior year. Although his workouts were tough, he was always encouraging my team to push ourselves to get better. His favorite phrase was "work wins", which is why I believe we got so far in districts this year, because we all worked so hard.He was very encouraging off the court as well. As a senior, I struggled with play time and team politics throughout the course of the season. He pulled me aside multiple times after practice just to tell me how glad he was that I was on the team and that I had amazing work ethic. After one particularly emotional game, he told me how much he respected me and understood exactly what I was going through. I even felt comfortable enough to cry in front of him.Mr. Horvath talks to teens like we are his equal, although we are far from it. The lessons he taught me in class will definitely carry over into college and beyond, but I also plan to remember his caring personality. I strive to be like Mr. Horvath, because he is a great Christian example and a man who has truly given me encouragement throughout my senior year.